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Mrs. Stassis opened by stating that the panel presenters were a unique blend of people who would be addressing different approaches toward reaching for global understanding. She questioned how well students are prepared to interact with other societies. She reminded us that “teachers teach the possible.” Hopefully the panel members would help as we work to act locally and interact globally.
Shira Danan and Elias Ibrahim, representatives of Abraham’s Vision, a conflict transformation organization.
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Along with other participants, Shira and Elias met at an Abraham’s Vision program in the former Yugoslavia as part of a group of eleven Palestinians, eleven Israelis and one facilitator. Through presentations, workshops, and an interactive group process they created an open forum in an unstructured, non-judgmental environment. The group process provided a circle in which anyone could say anything he or she wanted to. They started first with a discussion of the situation in the Balkans, and moved on from there to discussions of their own backgrounds. The understandings they came to were of individual backgrounds and first person stories. They discovered that superficial appearances and modes of dress were unimportant. They saw themselves as part of a group; their interpersonal relationships were part of a much larger picture.
Shira Danan was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She is a graduate of Columbia University with a BA in Religion, concentrating on historical and contemporary interfaith relations. Her senior thesis was on programs promoting religious pluralism in New York City high schools.
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[On March 18, 2008, the conference organizers received the tragic news that Elias Ibrahim had died suddenly due to accidental drowning. We consider it a privilege to have been able to have this outstanding young man as a presenter at our conference, sharing his experiences as a student exploring intercultural understanding and peace among all peoples. We extend our condolences to his family and friends.]
Dr. Lucille E. Davy, New Jersey’s Commissioner of Education.
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In the New Jersey schools, the children of immigrants are now the fastest-growing segment of the population. One in five children speaks a language other than English at home. Dr. Davy stated that, in the past, not speaking English has been considered a deficit for children in school. She stated, however, that educators need a new paradigm for looking at children who speak another language. As they learn English, these children will become bilingual, which is an ability that will place them at an advantage. It is necessary for us to consider that speaking a language other than English is an advantage. At the present time throughout New Jersey, foreign language study now starts early, so that native English speaking children can also start to become proficient in another language.
In New Jersey, Governor Corzine has charged the Department of Education that New Jersey students learn not only to live but to prosper in a multicultural world. In the curricula in New Jersey, language arts courses examine how media represents what is taught and social studies courses integrate the past with the present. The New Jersey Department of Education has recently entered into a partnership with Coverdell World Wise Schools to implement their programs for intercultural understanding. In the fall of 2009, New Jersey will launch a Sesame Street world language model called “Global Grover” for pre-kindergarten children.
Jennifer L. Chidsey Pizzo, Director of Data Services and Curriculum Development for the International Studies Schools Network of the Asia Society.
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The ISSN schools are mostly small urban schools, because the poor academic performance of students in many low-income city neighborhoods, as well as some rural communities, has been well documented. In addition, it has become imperative that all students leave high school “prepared to compete and cooperate on a global scale.” Ten schools in the ISSN network have been opened in five states since 2004, with another due to open in 2008. They hope to reach thirty schools within the next five years.
Students in the ISSN high schools learn to work cooperatively to solve global problems. Many of them will be working on climate change. The goal is that the schools have a problem-based curriculum, so that students become collaborative problem solvers with an international perspective. All students will be educated to become fluent in a language other than English and to become technologically proficient.
Ms. Chidsey Pizzo stressed the need for all educators to become more aware of our links to the rest of the world and consider how we can bring this perspective into our classrooms. She encouraged the teachers present at the conference to “Get involved. Look across your grade level or your school and ask ‘What can we do with our existing curriculum that would allow us to give a global perspective?’ Do something with your faculty as a whole.” She closed by suggesting that interested teachers go to Google, type in “Did You Know? 2.0” and they will pull up an excellent video resource. Teachers might also search for a video titled “Two Million Minutes.” This refers to the two million minutes that are the time that elapses between the ninth and the twelfth grades. In the video, students in China, India and the United States are shown using these two million minutes. She referred teachers to the Asia Society web site, which she said has a “treasure trove” of materials. (www.asiasociety.org/education.)
